


So Much More

by f-ing-ruthless-baz (f_ing_ruthless_baz)



Series: Carry On Ficlets [11]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Awkward Crush, First Meetings, M/M, POV Simon Snow, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f_ing_ruthless_baz/pseuds/f-ing-ruthless-baz
Summary: Penny says I’m attracted to him, but it’s so much more than that.Simon is fascinated by the handsome shop-worker at the bookstore, and goes in all the time to gawk at him. He tries to be subtle about it. Usually.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Carry On Ficlets [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453180
Comments: 12
Kudos: 157





	So Much More

**Author's Note:**

> This came from a prompt request by foolofabookwyrm: _Bookstore, strangers to lovers, “you know that your book is upside-down, right?”_
> 
> I just wrote this in the last two hours, so I apologize for any typos. (I swear I tried to catch them all. Like Pokemon.) It's fun to write something again that doesn't require a six thousand word outline first. 😂

Penny should really be here right now.

She told me she was tired of getting dragged along on these _reconnaissance missions_ , or whatever, but the fact is that if she’s not here with me, I feel like an idiot. She can always find something to look at around here; she’s actually interested in books. Even books without dragons. (Seriously, what’s the point of that?)

I mean, I always find something to look at here, too, but it’s not the books.

I scan the place as I walk in, trying not to be too obvious about it, until I spot him half-way across the store, setting up a display table. His dark hair is tucked behind one ear today, and falling forward past his face on the other side when he leans over to reach something. His pale floral shirt, which is rolled up at the sleeves, is tucked into dark, slim-fit jeans—probably the same deep shade of blue as his name tag. I can’t see it from this angle, but I can picture it. Pinned to his shirt, below his left collarbone. Indigo, with embossed white lettering.

_Baz_.

Even knowing that much about him feels like an invasion of his privacy. I’ve only been close enough to read it when he was ringing up Penny’s purchases. It’s not like I’ve ever spoken to him.

I duck into an aisle, before he can see me staring, and weave my way through the fiction section to find a better vantage point, one that gives me a good line of sight without being noticed. (I sound like a sniper, _Jesus_.)

I honestly don’t know why I find him so fascinating. Penny says it’s because I’m _attracted_ to him. And yeah, maybe at a glance he’s kind of good-looking, I guess. But when you study him like I have, you start to notice things. Like his nose starts about half an inch too high on his face. And his eyebrows are too thick and angular, which is only made worse any time he catches me watching him, because he raises one of them and it just exaggerates the whole effect.

I still don’t know for sure if a guy could ever be _my type_ , and by all accounts, he really _shouldn’t_ be my type at all. With his fancy clothes and his posh accent—I’m sure he prefers reading books without dragons, too.

But something else happens when you study him like I have. You notice the way he handles the books, carefully, like each one is special. Sure, the shop might have thirty copies of a book, but each of those could become someone’s _only_ copy. Their only copy of their favourite book. And he makes sure it’s in good condition until it reaches them.

It makes it really hard to hate him.

I gave that up months ago, though. Trying to hate him. Now I just observe. Research. Work at figuring him out.

Penny says I’m attracted to him, but it’s so much more than that.

I quickly direct my attention to the shelf of books in front of me, desperately trying to avoid eye contact, when Baz finishes with his display and walks past me. Once his footsteps are far enough away, I take a glance over my shoulder. He’s stopped in front of the children’s section to talk to a customer.

I can barely see him from here, so I step out to the end of the aisle, where there’s another display, and peer around the corner. I’m oddly jealous of the customer he’s talking to, even though it’s just a woman with a pram. Maybe because he never smiles at me like that.

I poke at the books on the table absently, trying to keep up the pretence of browsing while I keep an eye on him. But when his eyes glance over in my direction, I jerk my arm and a whole stack of books falls over.

“ _Shit._ ” I frantically try to pile the books back on the table and hope that by some miracle he didn’t notice. I’m never that lucky, though, so when he starts heading over, I grab the first book I see and open it to a random page so I don’t have to look at him at point-blank range.

“You know that your book is upside down, right?”

I feel my face get hot as my eyes focus on the page in front of me, and sure enough, the words are all upside down. I snap it shut and look at the cover. It’s also upside down. And bright pink.

“I—Er—Sorry,” I say, still unable to bring myself to make eye contact. “I can clean this up, I just—”

“You wouldn’t know how,” Baz says dismissively. He waves his hand for me to step aside and starts stacking up the books properly, with perfect right angles, as usual.

“It’s all right,” he adds, though I have trouble believing him. It doesn’t take him long to get things sorted out, though. He looks at me again and I finally let myself look up. “Is there anything I can help you find today?”

He’s supposed to ask me that, it’s his job. I can tell he doesn’t want anything to do with me. This was a terrible idea and Penny really should have been here. She would have kept me from making a right arse of myself.

“Er, no, I’m fine, thanks,” I say, and I shove the book at him. He barely has a chance to catch it from me before I’m walking away.

“Hey,” he calls out from behind me, and I come to an immediate halt, mortified. He’s going to tell me I damaged something and I’m going to have to pay for it or maybe I’ll go to jail or—

“You sure you don’t want this?” he adds, holding up the book when I turn and face him.

“Er—I don’t—I was just—”

“It’s a good one,” he says as he looks down at it and runs his thumb along the spine. “It’s very clever. And funny. And gay.” He returns his attention to me and smiles a little. Not the customer service smile for the lady with the pram. Something more… personal. Like he’s mocking me. “I’d recommend it.”

I swallow and he holds the book out for me. I have to take a few steps closer to reach it. He doesn’t let go when I grab it.

“The book’s good too,” he says, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smirk.

I can’t tell if he’s flirting with me or if I’ve passed out and hallucinated this entire exchange. Or—the most likely scenario—he’s seen me ogling him and he’s taking the piss.

“Thanks,” I manage to say, my voice small and weak, like when I was a child and had trouble talking.

“You’re Simon, right?” he says, raking his hair back off his face.

“I—How—”

“You and your friend—Penny?—You come in here a lot,” he says. “I may have heard you talking from time to time.”

_He’s heard us talking about him_ , I think.

“Well, you should give that book a try, it is good,” he adds hesitantly, as if my silence is making him nervous. His smirk is gone and he messes with his hair again. It looks soft but thick, and it’s moderately distracting.

“Right,” I say with a nod. I clear my throat.

“Come back and let me know what you think of it.” He smiles again, meekly this time, and he looks every bit the man who takes care of the books and makes sure they go to a good home.

“I will.” I nod again and take a step to walk away, but I then I stop. “Maybe we could even discuss it,” I hear myself say to him. “Over coffee.”

A hint of his playful smile is back. “I look forward to that, Simon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the book is meant to be _Red, White, and Royal Blue_ , though you can imagine it as whatever you like.


End file.
